Photo courtesy of La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort

A New Version of an Old Model: Wellness Tourism 2.0

Embedded within the burgeoning $16 billion dollar a year yoga industry is a new version of an old model that has become increasingly popular: Yoga and Meditation Retreats, aka Wellness Tourism 2.0.
 
The Global Wellness Institute (GWI) estimates from the period 2015-2020, the largest projected growth sector in the five main categories of wellness (Spa, Wellness Tourism, Thermal/Mineral Springs, Workplace Wellness, and Wellness Lifestyle Real Estate), will be Wellness Tourism.
 
It is expected to grow annually by 7.5% (compared to conventional tourism’s 3.4% annual growth rate) and will account for $808 billion dollars in the United States alone by 2020. Naturally, this increase in popularity for wellness retreats can directly, or perhaps indirectly, be attributed to the rise of interest in yoga and meditation practices and retreats worldwide.
 
Just pop into any local yoga studio and you’ll see a collection of flyers for upcoming retreats. Headlines frequently read, “Join us on an unforgettable, magical, and transformational yoga journey to _____ (insert an exotic paradise-like location) where we’ll do yoga twice a day, eat yummy, nourishing, organic food, meditate and participate in other wellness-based and fun activities, and escape into a world where you can become the person you’ve always wanted to be.”
 
Sound familiar?!?
 
Whether it’s an adventure-based shamanic yoga and surf retreat in Costa Rica, a spiritual delight for the senses in India or Bali, a decadent culinary and wine get-away in Italy, or a peaceful local relaxation sanctuary at an oasis like Palm Springs, yoga and meditation retreats offer a plethora of experiences and opportunities to help people find themselves.
 
Yet, yoga and meditation retreats are actually nothing new within the field of wellness travel. They’re simply a modernized rebranding of something that already existed for a long period of time.
 

 

The History of Wellness Retreats

According to researchers Melanie Smith and Catherine Kelly, wellness retreats are “One of the most ancient forms of tourism if one considers the scrupulous attention paid to well-being by the Romans and Greeks, the quest for spiritual enlightenment of Mediaeval pilgrims, or the medical seaside and spa tourism of the 18th and 19th century European elite.”
 
Whether people retreated for health or medical purposes or for spiritual enlightenment, it can safely be assumed that this concept has been going on since Western societies became civilized.
 
Moreover, the latter falls in line with India’s storied tradition of spiritual seekers. Growing up in the Kriya Yoga tradition of Self-Realization Fellowship, I was personally raised on some of the stories of the great saints of India like Ramakrishna, Neem Karoli Baba, Mahavatar Babaji, and, of course, Paramahansa Yogananda. Yogananda-ji, author of the famed classic, Autobiography of a Yogi, often wrote about how he longed to visit the Himalayas to search for and find the Holy Ones of India’s mystical traditions high up in the mountains.
 
This type of existentially motivated tirthayatra (pilgrimage) retreat has interested many spiritual seekers throughout history. According to Richard Sharpley and Priya Sundaram in Tourism, A Sacred Journey, pilgrimage “has been an element of Indian social life since ancient times.”
 
What’s more, the Kerala region of Southwestern India has been a haven for healing people’s physical dukha (suffering) since the tradition began. It is said to be the place where Ayurveda was born at least 5,000 years ago. Centers there have provided medical escapes and extended panchakarma wellness retreats to rehabilitate people’s overall health since time immemorial.
 
Furthermore, Kerala-based Ayurvedic and yoga retreats have currently reached a historical pinnacle of popularity.
 
Thus, whether in ancient India [in the East] or in ancient Greece and Rome [in the West], the concept of a retreat, or of escaping from society for health, healing, or holiness, is deeply rooted within each of us as human beings. They’ve been an historical hallmark of self-care and wellness before statistics on these kinds of practices even existed.
 

 

The Evolution and Expectations of a Yoga and Meditation Retreat

People often have preconceived notions of a yoga or meditation retreat. These commonly include images of long-haired hippies dressed in white, eating dhal and rice and drinking komboucha, chanting all night near a nag champa incense and sage-scented fire. However, in today’s modern yoga environment, the actual picture is far different.
 
Each retreat is unique and carries a specific energy and theme. When choosing your adventure, ask yourself: What’s your ideal theme? Becoming clear on your focus, knowing the topography or scenery you’re seeking, and aligning with the details of what’s being offered are essential steps to ensure you choose the right retreat for you.
 
A number of factors may be considered when retreat decision-making.
Location: Do you like the desert, the beach, the mountains, the forest, or the open lands?
 
Accommodations: Do you prefer five-star, rustic, something in between, or something truly unique like a treehouse, an ashram, or an ancient castle?
 
Distance of travel: Do you have to fly to the retreat and spend extra time away from life or is it close enough for you to drive?
 
Excursions: Do you want to relax and practice yoga on a beach in Malibu? Have a side of yoga with skiing up in Mammoth? Or enjoy desert yoga and meditation after hiking in Joshua Tree and visiting the eco-conscious wind and solar farms? Lots of fun excursion choices await you!
 
Spa Treatments: Do you want to channel the Vedas through a Himalayan Salt Stone Ritual? Or maybe Zen out with a Find Your Zen Ritual? Maybe you prefer a more traditional massage? Or a Hydrafacial? Perhaps a Lomi Lomi, which is a Hawaiian “loving hands” massage? How pampered do you want to be?
 
Food: Do you want to eat vegetarian or vegan food while you’re away? Or maybe you want to have a sattvic (pure) or Ayurvedic diet while on retreat? Is it time for a juice cleanse? Is the food served at a food hall or in the ambiance and atmosphere of a restaurant?
 
As you can see, there are many ways to personalize your retreat experience. In Tourism, A Sacred Journey, the authors state that tourism, “Is functionally and symbolically equivalent to other institutions that humans use to embellish and add meaning to their lives.
 
It may be understood either as a regular secular ritual (the annual vacation) that acts as a counterpoint to everyday life and work, or as a more specific rite of passage, or ‘personal transition,’ undertaken at particular junctions in peoples’ lives.”
There’s truly something for everyone!
 
If you’re a Type A person, going on a Yoga adventure may be fun, but it may be more of the same Type A energy of constantly being on the go that you normally experience. Maybe a digital detox would be better? Consider asking yourself what’s going on in your life and how your chosen retreat might lead to greater balance or inner harmony for you since the time spent on retreat can, quite literally, change your life.
 

 

The Retreat Process

On retreat, don’t be surprised if your stuff comes rising to the surface, especially if it’s a retreat with deeper training involved. If you’re constantly active with life and work, when you finally have some free space, subconscious emotions may come up. Take the time and space you need in order to honor your feelings and be with yourself. For some people, this is a natural part of the process of slowing down.
 
Sharpley and Sudaram describe three stages of the retreat process:
 
Separation Stage: This is the time when people decompress and become freed or distanced from their ordinary routine as they enter the new retreat surroundings.
 
Liminality Stage: The transitional phase of entry into a sacred state of anti-structure in which the structure and order of normal life dissolve, everyday obligations cease to exist and new forms of relationships are created based upon a leveling of statuses. This can produce feelings of excitement and bonding between participants.
 
Re-integration Stage: Described as the process of returning home to everyday existence in society where the techniques and practices that were done on retreat become, as HuffPost writer Ariston Anderson calls it, “a vacation souvenir.” People return to their individual worlds with these souvenirs.
 
This is one of the greatest distinguishing features between a traditional vacation and a retreat. Travel and retreats both provide you with methods of relaxing and taking care of yourself while away. But, yoga and meditation retreats offer you tools to take home that can help you grow, both inside and outside.
 
This experience can inspire people to find more satisfaction in their lives if they stay consistent with the practices.
 

 

What the Research Says About Wellness Travel

A groundbreaking study in complementary and alternative medicine from the University of California San Francisco, Harvard Medical School, and the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai sheds more light on what makes wellness travel distinct.
 
Originally published in Translational Psychology, a group of researchers analyzed blood samples of 94 healthy women ages 30-60 separated into two groups. There was a control group consisting of non-meditating women randomly selected to enjoy their vacation at the La Costa Resort in La Jolla, California, and a group of novice and experienced meditators who were instructed in mantra meditation and yoga at The Chopra Center led by Dr. Deepak Chopra’s instructors.
 
To maintain consistency between the groups, both were fed a similar Ayurvedic, anti-inflammatory diet and had similar, comparable lodging and accommodations.
 
The results? Both groups showed positive gene activity in their blood samples for specific markers related to cellular health and aging. This was measured by their regulation of the stress response, telomerase activity, and amyloid beta (A?) metabolism.
 
The greatest biochemical changes between the groups were related to measurements of stress and immune function. Novice meditators showed fewer symptoms of depression and less signs of stress for a longer period of time following the structured retreat compared to the vacationers.
 
The regular meditators showed the greatest improvements in antiviral and immune function activity of all groups; they also showed the most significant increase in peripheral blood mononuclear cell telomerase post-retreat. This measurement is predictive of decreases in diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers.
 
Overall, the study led the researchers to differentiate between what they referred to as “the vacation effect” versus the more powerful “meditation effect” found on retreat.
 
Other studies have shown similar findings. A June 2017 study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience found that after a three-month yoga and meditation retreat, people showed increases in Brain-Derived Neurotophic Factor (BDNF) and the cortisol awakening response.
 
These are markers that signify the reduction of anxiety and depression. People also experienced decreases in inflammatory processes due to higher levels of the anti-inflammatory cytokine, Interleukin-10.
 
A 2016 study published in the Journal for Psychosomatic Research made the following conclusion, “Meditation retreats are moderately to largely effective in reducing depression, anxiety, stress and in ameliorating the quality of life of participants.”
According to current scientific research, the right kind of vacation can be good for your health.
 
What’s the right kind? Well, a Yoga or meditation wellness retreat, of course!
 

Types of Wellness Retreat-Goers

There appear to be several tourism-based yoga and meditation archetypes. These include: The Dedicated Yoga and Meditation Tourist, The Corporate Yoga Tourist, The Religious Yoga Tourist, The Ashram Yoga Tourist, and The Medical Yoga Tourist.
 
The Dedicated Yoga and Meditation Tourist: This traveler is interested in detoxing from the constant bombardment of the digital world. They’re seeking to dial down the intensity of worldly commitments (especially if they have kids). At the same time, they’re seeking new and improved lifestyle patterns that lead to less stress and more ease.
 
Often, this traveler wants to set aside their established identity in order to re-invent themselves. They may choose an instructor or studio-led retreat for 3 to 7 days. This category is also for the traditional yoga festival-goer.
 
Destinations include Bhatki Fest, Wanderlust Festivals, One Love Fest, Esalen in Big Sur, Rythmia Life Advancement Center in Costa Rica, or a retreat with their yoga teacher to a beautiful location like Hawaii, Mexico, Chile, or Bali.
 
The Corporate Yoga Tourist: Someone who works a high-stress, high-paying job will fit into this category. They need a few days to separate from responsibilities (including their cell phone!). They may go on retreat to re-acquaint with themselves, prioritize life values, and re-assess their role in society, work, and family. Often, they may seek a retreat with structure as well as free time to roam and daydream.
 
If this person happens to be in a leadership position, they may even inspire their company and/or team to include yoga and meditation programming into their annual corporate meetings. There are a number of scientifically proven benefits and advantages of a corporation offering these practices to employees.
 
These include improvements in physical health and cognitive performance, enhancements in social connectedness and leadership capacity, decreases in work-associated stress and anxiety, better quality of communication and interpersonal relationships. Other benefits are heightened strategic focus, increased productivity levels, and emotional intelligence skills like empathy, agreeableness, and self-control.
 
Destinations include properties like the 1440 Multiversity in Northern California, Four Seasons Resort The Biltmore Santa Barbara, or La Quinta Resort & Club, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, in the Palm Springs area where they have special yoga and mindfulness programming for companies that want to enhance their corporate meetings and provide additional resources and lifestyle support for their employees and their families.
 
The Religious Yoga Tourist: Yoga and religion are classically different. Yoga is a spiritual practice while religion is, well, a religious practice. The Religious Yoga Tourist, however, is typically someone with religious fervor who wants to empower their relationship with the Divine in a kind and loving way. Humorously titled ‘Homo turisticus religiosus’ by Vukonic, Religious Yoga Tourists have many avenues to explore and ways to worship depending on the denomination.
 
Destinations include church groups heading to a remote location like Questhaven Retreat Center outside Encinitas to meditate on Christ, a Jewish group sharing Old Testament values in a modern context at a place like Alpine Meadows in Angelus Oaks, Kriya Yoga devotees of all religions practicing at the non-denominational Self-Realization Fellowship Hermitage & Gardens in Encinitas, or a Buddhist group doing mindfulness practices at a Dharma Center like Spirit Rock in Northern California.
 
The Ashram Yoga Tourist: The ashram-goer typically takes to heart the meaning of India’s tourism advertising campaign, Incredible India. They may seek out longer experiences or sign up for a yoga teaching certification as part of the retreat.
 
While some of these seekers travel alone, they may also connect with other kindred spirits while on the road or even a group seeking transformation. This tourist often travels with a backpack, a trusty Lonely Planet guidebook, and even a musical instrument. In addition, they are driven by deeply profound and existential quest for liberation and soul freedom.
 
Destinations include the Sivananda Yoga Farm in Northern California, Mount Madonna in the Santa Cruz Mountains, SRF’s Lake Shrine in Pacific Palisades, the Himalayan Institute in Pennsylvania, the Omega Institute in upstate New York, the Art of Living Retreat Center in North Carolina, Kripalu Center for Yoga and Health in the Berkshires, or the Parmath Niketan Ashram in Rishikesh, India.
 
The Medical Yoga Tourist: Some travelers seek healing. This person is typically looking for a peaceful, tranquil, and supportive environment that will encourage healing and recovery. This can include the Ayurvedic cleansing practice of panchakarma.
 
The Medical Yoga Tourist may be seeking relief from psychological or psychiatric challenges or traumas, treatment for autoimmune diseases, integrative medicine for cancer, or even cosmetic surgery away from home. In some situations, this traveler will choose a personally inspired retreat perhaps under the care of doctors and nurses.
 
They may incorporate yoga, breathing, and meditation techniques. The medical treatments often take place in a hospital or a nearby rehabilitation or yoga therapy facility.
 
Destinations include the Health and Longevity Institute at the Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village, Hippocrates Health Institute in Florida, Rancho La Puerta in Mexico, Miraval Life in Balance Spa at Monarch Beach Resort, The Jiva Grande Spa at Vivanta by Taj in Madikeri (India), Ananda in the Himalayas (India), or the Beverly Hills Waldorf Astoria (which offers programs to heal in luxury after medical and surgical procedures).
 
Know Yourself: Ultimately, the type of tourist you are will depend on the type of experience you are seeking. Gently investigate with awe and curiosity what your motivations are for your retreat and you’ll likely find that you fit into one of the categories above. Once you do figure it all out, you’ll be on your path to finding some fun, serenity, and/or healing. Happy travels!
 

Yoga is the Essence of Modern Wellness Travel

Yoga and meditation retreats have found their way into our global culture as the modern version of Wellness Tourism. In 2017, over 80 million people are expected to try or practice yoga in the US alone.
 
Across the globe, this number likely tops hundreds of millions. Millions more (including about 12–15% of the U.S. population) are meditators. Many of whom practice regularly at home, in spiritual centers and churches/temples, or on apps like iRest, Headspace, and Simple Habit.
 
Not surprisingly, industries like tourism, hospitality, and healthcare are increasingly integrating these supportive lifestyle practices from yoga and meditation into people’s stays. Yet, the main distinction between a typical vacation and a retreat may be that the latter not only impacts you and your inner world while you’re there, but provides you with a ‘vacation souvenir’ that will have an effect and express itself all the way down to the level of your blood and genes long after you depart.
 
The popularity of these practices continues to grow as people immerse themselves in the profoundly transformational cultures on yoga and meditation retreats. An increasing number of options are available for any type of wellness travel experience. Whatever type of traveler you are, the retreat you choose will offer you something unique, powerful, and meaningful.
 
Focusing your travel on your heart, spirit, and health can have long lasting effects. This is where the magic of the “meditation effect” is experienced. Ultimately, a yoga and meditation retreat isn’t just about the vacation experience, the tools you learn and the shifts you make help support you to become the best version of yourself in your day-to-day life.
 

Eden Goldman

Dr. Eden Goldman, D.C., C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is Director of Yoga and Mindfulness at La Quinta Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, where they host 5-star teacher and studio led retreats, along with corporate retreats, and feature an Ayurvedic-inspired vegetarian menu, Manduka mats and props, an enchanting desert and mountain backdrop, 41 swimmable pools for guests, and one of the newest installations in Amanda Giacomini’s 10,000 Buddhas street art series. Professionally, Dr. Goldman is also Director of The Yoga and the Healings Sciences at Loyola Marymount University Extension and co-author of Yoga Therapy and Integrative Medicine: Where Ancient Sciences Meets Modern Medicine. He can be found online on Instagram at @dr.edengoldman

www.YogaDoctors.com

The post Wellness Tourism 2.0: The Benefits of Yoga and Meditation Retreats appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.

Teachers Lainie Devina and Holli Rabishaw shot by Jeff Skeirik

The term Golden Age refers to a period of time when flourishing and abundance happens within a specific community or society.

The Golden Age of wisdom was around 400 BCE when Socrates charmed the West with profound discourses and The Buddha illumined the noble paths to end suffering in the East. Art experienced its Golden Age in the Renaissance when Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa made the world fall in love with simplicity and Michelangelo enchanted people’s hearts on the ceilings of the Sistine Chapel.

Although it’s rare to predict a Golden Age before or while in the midst of happening, the times today beg the question: Are we entering a Golden Age in the field of Yoga Therapy?

Yoga Therapy is the philosophy, art, and science of adapting classical Yoga techniques to contemporary situations to support people with physical, mental, and emotional ailments. According to the definition of the International Association of Yoga Therapists (IAYT), “Yoga therapy is the process of empowering individuals to progress toward improved health and well-being through the application of the teachings and practices of Yoga.”

Practically speaking, Yoga Therapy is the reinvention of a personalized Yoga experience where the practice is modified to meet the individual’s ever-changing needs. Since ancient times, adaptability in one’s teaching, practice, and approach has rested at the heart of Yoga’s most fundamental influence: the relationship, insights, and trust created through the practice by one teacher working with one student. Unfortunately, this ideal is sometimes challenging to uphold in the contemporary group class environment that dominates much of modern Yoga culture.

Today, a private Yoga Therapy session is often a quasi-amalgamation of movement science and physical therapy (asana), breathwork and energy cultivation (pranayama), stress reduction therapy (meditation and Yoga Nidra), nutrition (Ayurveda), psychology and behavioral therapy (Yoga sutras), and euphoria (samadhi) all rolled into one.

Sounds great, right?

You’re not alone. Millions of other people think so, too.

The latest long-range market research describing the yoga community, released by Yoga Journal and Yoga Alliance in January 2016, found that the number of people practicing Yoga in the US alone rose from 20 million in 2012 to 36 million in 2016 while industry sales figures increased from $10 billion to $16 billion. It is interesting to note that the largest growing sector within this community are people aged 55 and up. This demographic of yogis jumped 350% from 4 million people to 14 million people in the same four year time period. The 55 and over crowd are currently trying Yoga at the highest rates of any population.

Score #1 for Yoga Therapy’s Golden Age.

Yoga is being practiced by a specific population devoting a large amount of resources to healthy lifestyles.

Esteemed orthopedic doctor and Yoga anatomy expert Ray Long, MD says, “There has been an explosion of interest in practicing Yoga, both for its healing potential and its ability to enhance quality of life.” While many Yoga classes emphasize a competitive atmosphere of ‘pushing to one’s edge” and “exploring one’s physical limitations,” Yoga Therapy, in contrast, accepts practitioners where they are physically and also nurtures their mental, emotional, and spiritual selves. It offers a multi-layered and holistic approach linking the practice, the individual, and one’s lifestyle and environment to create balance or homeostasis—referred to in Yoga Therapy as “a sattvic life.”

What’s more, Yoga Therapy values function over form. Just like a tailor adjusts clothing to fit an individual’s unique shapes and curves, Yoga Therapy tailors the practice to the individual’s, needs, abilities, restrictions/illnesses, aspirations, and goals. This mindful method of personalizing one’s practice cultivates longevity and is integral to prevention.

Taking this into account, the migration of today’s maturing demographic to Yoga as therapy is not surprising.

The current baby boomer population dynamics have created what is known as the “2030 problem” in the scientific literature – which means that by 2030 over 61 million people in the US will be between the ages of 66 – 84 and will require healthcare that addresses their needs.

Think about that for a moment.

Approximately 61 million people in the US alone (likely topping hundreds of millions worldwide) will be over the age of 55 by 2019. This population explosion will be adding, year-by-year, to Yoga’s largest growing and most influential population sector, those 55 and older.

Yoga Therapist Terri Roseman with Student at Venice Family Clinic. Photo by David Young-Wolff.

Score #2 for Yoga Therapy’s Golden Age.

Yoga Therapy has the power to affect and influence millions of people whose evolving needs might otherwise remain underserved or inadequately served by the current healthcare industry.

Collectively, people over 55 are paradigm-shifters who have been part of a number of significant social changes such as civil rights, medical marijuana, single parenting, and gay marriage. This group grew up with The Beatles practicing Transcendental Meditation and Ram Dass encouraging people to Be Here Now. One of the most important social stigmas that the Baby Boomers have removed, which has had the biggest impact on Yoga itself, is that you are weird, strange, or uncool for practicing Yoga.

In today’s world, it is quite the contrary! I dare to say that in 2016 anything Yoga-related is The New Black.

Stylecaster’s picks for 2016 fitness trends includes Eastern medicine, stretching classes, nutritional beauty, inner body wellness, mindful exercise, and holistic happiness. The most popular ways to stay in shape are code for practices and techniques found within the scope of Yoga Therapy.

The Yoga community is even adapting to accommodate.

A variety of approaches to yoga have sprung up to deliver a more Yoga Therapy-esque version to the group class setting including Viniyoga, Silver Age Yoga, Yoga4Seniors, Urban Zen, Chikitsa Vinyasa Yoga (Therapeutic Flow Yoga), and Prime of Life Yoga. Instructors in styles such as Prime of Life Yoga focus on how the practice can prevent osteoporosis, decrease back pain, minimize stress, maintain muscle pliability, and reduce the risk of falls. Elizabeth Visceglia, MD says, “Yoga practice is a low-cost intervention with no significant dangers or side effects when utilized by a knowledgeable practitioner.” And, as if that weren’t enough, Yoga will also help make you cool again.

Score #3 for Yoga Therapy’s Golden Age.

Compared to interventions such as pharmaceutical drugs or surgery, Yoga Therapy is a relatively low cost treatment that teaches the practitioner how to live a harmonious relationship with the self. Plus, Yoga Therapy has relatively few to no negative side effects if you find a knowledgeable therapist who works with people as individuals and refers out when necessary.

This landscape of an aging population looking for a natural fountain of youth is one of the motivating factors contributing to the rise of increased self-regulation in the field. In 2015, the IAYT released new educational guidelines for its member schools; and just last month in August 2016, the IAYT began granting a standardized professional credential for Yoga Therapists (C-IAYT). Paula Tapia, a Chilean graduate of the Yoga Therapy Rx Program at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, speaks to the importance of these initiatives. “Having the necessary skills and appropriate training to be part of the healthcare system is not only a privilege for Yoga Therapists, but also a responsibility,” says Tapia, who recently completed her clinical internship in Yoga Therapy at the Simms/Mann UCLA Venice Family Clinic.

(Read about the Yoga Therapy program at the Simms/Mann UCLA Venice Family Clinic in LA YOGA.)

Paula Tapia, Yoga Therapy RX Graduate

Yoga Therapy schools differ in style and philosophy, so it is important to do your research whether you are pursuing Yoga Therapy for support, treatment, or further education. IAYT’s website (iayt.org) has provider listings where you’ll see that in addition to Yoga Therapists like Ms. Tapia, there are many medical doctors, psychologists, chiropractors, nurses, and acupuncturists who are also trained as Yoga Therapists.

IAYT Executive Director, John Kepner, MA, has been an integral part of this increased professionalism in the field. In Yoga Therapy and Integrative Medicine: Where Ancient Science Meets Modern Medicine, Kepner reflects, “Professional interest in the field of Yoga therapy has soared in the past 10 years and IAYT’s membership has grown almost five-fold (from < 700 to over 3,400 members) in almost 50 countries at the beginning of 2014. Perhaps even more illustrative is the growth in professional training. IAYT listed just five schools with Yoga Therapy training programs on our website in 2003. Now, in 2014, we list over 120 member schools. Yoga Therapy, with its comprehensive set of practices and teachings for body, breath, and mind, is one of the answers to a much needed transformation of our contemporary approach to health care.”

It has become such a popular [and potentially legally liable] subject that in February 2016 the Yoga Alliance announced that all teachers and member schools listed on their registry website are no longer allowed to use the words Therapy, Yoga Therapy, or Chikitsa (“Therapy” in Sanskrit) on their website. While the move has been widely criticized for being based in fear, which is the opposite of what Yoga teaches, or not being in the best interest of members, Yoga Alliance as an organization is demonstrating a line of demarcation between Yoga teaching and the in-depth, patient-centered, wellness care-based practice of Yoga Therapy.

At its essence, though, Yoga Therapy isn’t meant to diagnose and/or cure diseases; its aim is to lessen the suffering of the person. The legendary B.K.S. Iyengar probably described it best, “Yoga teaches us to cure what need not be endured and endure what cannot be cured.”

As research continues to confirm Yoga Therapy’s benefits as a lifestyle science and anecdotal success stories are shared throughout the media, this lifestyle revolution becomes even more mainstream. The artists, entrepreneurs, philosophers, educators, and yogis, who have shaped our modern world are also, quite possibly, initiating its next big movement, the Golden Age of Yoga Therapy, simply by being here, now.

Eden Goldman

Dr. Eden Goldman, D.C., C-IAYT, E-RYT500, is Director of Yoga and Mindfulness at La Quinta Resort, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, where they host 5-star teacher and studio led retreats, along with corporate retreats, and feature an Ayurvedic-inspired vegetarian menu, Manduka mats and props, an enchanting desert and mountain backdrop, 41 swimmable pools for guests, and one of the newest installations in Amanda Giacomini’s 10,000 Buddhas street art series. Professionally, Dr. Goldman is also Director of The Yoga and the Healings Sciences at Loyola Marymount University Extension and co-author of Yoga Therapy and Integrative Medicine: Where Ancient Sciences Meets Modern Medicine. He can be found online on Instagram at @dr.edengoldman

www.YogaDoctors.com

The post Are We Entering A Golden Age Of Yoga Therapy?? appeared first on LA Yoga Magazine - Ayurveda & Health.